Xbox 360 – Silent Hill: Homecoming Review

Since I have never owned a Playstation, I haven’t had the opportunity to play the previous Silent Hill games, except for The Room (4). My wife and I actually enjoyed Silent Hill 4, even though I know of how much flack it gets from certain areas of the Silent Hill community. Actually, my wife watched me play it and became engrossed with the story, which is what has happened with Homecoming, too; I’m not allowed to play it unless she’s there to watch.

Anyway, on to the review:

Likes:

Atmosphere:
Silent Hill wouldn’t be Silent Hill without the engaging atmosphere. It’s foggy, it’s decaying, the sounds are haunting: it just gets it right. I do like the “transition” effects, too, that mimic the the Silent Hill movie.

Action:
From what I understand from previous games, the action has been greatly improved. The dodge works fairly well if you time it right. There seem to be a bit more fight opportunities than before. Following Resident Evil 4, a type of quick-time events has been inserted during fights.

Dislikes:

Cut scenes:
Although the in-game action looks good, the cut scene graphics are quite under par for the 360. In this day and age, this is bordering on unacceptable. The lip syncing is a bit off. Some characters voices don’t match well with their appearance, either.

Movement:
My quibble with the movement aspect isn’t so much as the camera angle is bad (which it really isn’t), but that you can’t customize the camera speed. When you come out of a door and hear a noise to the right, he takes more of a slow turn than a “what was that?” kind of motion. Also, there is no quick-turn.

Action:
One thing I found that is a bit of a detriment to the action is that trying to enter the inventory to get a health pack is a bit awkward. It doesn’t always let you in while you’re in the process of getting hacked repeatedly by a nurse. Also, enemies tend to get in cheap shots after knocking you down, especially if several are coming after you.

Conclusion:

The Silent Hill series isn’t for everyone. It sometimes can be a bit slow, especially when you’re trying to figure out exactly what to do next; the objectives can be a bit vague at times, but they’re no more vague than in real life. If you like horror with a mix of puzzles and action, then this should be for you. FPS junkies should steer clear.